Tunnels beneath the area between Egypt and Gaza is big business for those who control the pathways. 

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the contraband products that travel underground.

The buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza is a no man’s land. But beneath the eight-mile Philadelphi Route, this border town stays busy.

Officials on both sides say a vast network of tunnels is used by smugglers to ferry everything from cigarettes and fuel to machine guns and grenades into the Gaza Strip.

Since Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, Egyptian forces have been responsible for cracking down on this smuggling, with the discrete assistance of US Army specialists. But Israeli officials have increasingly voiced discontent with Egypt’s policing. They strongly dispute its claims of success, saying that Cairo’s efforts have improved over time but that there is still much that needs to be done.

Egyptian authorities have found 452 tunnels since 2005, along with a wide range of contraband products. 

 Since 2005, border guards have found hundreds of guns, including 220 AK-47s; 18,465 kilograms of TNT; thousands of bullets; stashes of heroin, marijuana, and hashish; 16,821 packs of cigarettes; and Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, American and Saudi currency worth $149,455.

The owners and operators of the tunnels can rent them out for up to $10,000 an hour depending on the type of product being smuggled.